It's been a long time since 49ers fans have had a reason to go all out for a Super Bowl viewing party. But even if you haven't properly feted the football holiday since the Steve Young era, your rusty hosting skills are no cause for panic - we've solicited pros to help you step up your game on Sunday.

First things first, though. Some basic don'ts: It's unconscionable to invite a large group over to watch the game if you don't have a high-definition television (we want to be able to see every blade of synthetic grass in the Superdome).

Cramming everyone onto a loveseat is also unacceptable, so come up with a seating plan (more on this later). And no, bringing in plastic patio chairs for guests to sit on for four-plus hours isn't a good plan.

In the do's department: Keep track of the remote at all times. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if there are five seconds left in the game, a field goal would win it, the ball is kicked ... and suddenly the channel changes to Nickelodeon after someone sits on the remote.

Accidents of a different sort - spills that lead to stains - should be expected. For special furniture, interior designer Laura Martin Bovard offers some practical advice: "Throw a 49ers blanket on that puppy and be in the team spirit without stressing that your drunk brother-in-law is going to get beer on the mohair."

Bovard also recommends having Wine Away, baby wipes and club soda on hand for impromptu cleanup efforts.

According to Alison Hotchkiss of event planning and design firm Alison Events, trash cans are an often overlooked detail. "Have enough (available) so you're not taking it out in the middle of the party.

"Sports-related parties can tend to be unmanageable at times. Rivaling teams/fans, drinking too much, not enough food - people tend to zone out and overeat or on the other extreme, drink too much and need to eat. Make sure someone is able to call cabs, and someone is able to be a mediator or a calming presence."

Sunday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff allows for plenty of prep time for food, which will hopefully prevent a bad eating-to-drinking ratio. "I recently went to a party where the amount of starch foods - potatoes, nuts, chips, various bread appetizers - was quite limited, but the bar was not," says Mimi Cribbin, the proprietor of the Party Queen, which specializes in event decor and floral design. "It was not a pretty sight for those who lost count of how many drinks they had."

For her own party this weekend, Cribbin is devising a buffet with a red-and-gold theme, including mini corndogs piped with ketchup to resemble the laces on a football, red and Yukon gold potatoes, and a salad with roasted red and golden beets.

Cribbin keeps her tabletop simple, with a flat of wheatgrass from the farmers' market. The grass is arranged on a large tray and then topped with a football. "This year, I may have to put some mini ravens - from our Halloween box - face down in the grass," she quips.

Interior designer Claudia Juestel advocates a subtle approach to decorating for the big game. "Have your favorite florist create a 49ers-inspired arrangement for the centerpiece of a buffet," she says.

Instead of using paper plates and plastic cutlery, Juestel suggests trips to Target to round up red glass cake stands and bowls; Pottery Barn for the Gabriella dinnerware in gold and the cafe tumblers in amber; or Ikea for the Diod glasses in red. The red-and-gold color scheme means these pieces can be used again during the holidays, she notes.

No shopping is required for Juestel's next tip: "Create custom menus with dishes named with fun football terms or with players' names," she says. Crab(tree) Dip as an appetizer, Red Velvet Kaepcakes for dessert and Ginn and Tonic as a signature drink, perhaps?

Once guests have filled their plates and glasses and are ready to settle into the game, naturally, everyone's attention then turns to seating. "For a viewing event like this," says Cribbin, "we have plenty of seating around every television, so whichever room they are in, they will not miss a thing. It is even fun to tune a radio into the game or stream to an iPad in the bathroom."

Borrowing seating from elsewhere in the house is standard practice. "If you're going to view the game in your living room, most likely you'll be using your dining table to serve your buffet," says interior designer and consummate host Scot Meacham Wood.

"All of those dining chairs are going to be in the way, so why not clear them out of the dining room and organize them around the TV?" Just be sure that the backs of the chairs aren't blocking anyone's sight line.

Bar-height stools are great positioned behind the sofa, says Bovard. People tend to plop down on the floor, too, so place extra pillows on the ground to make it more comfortable.

Unless there's a Ravens fan in attendance. In that case, a little discomfort is probably just fine.